Good morning!
What do these three things have in common?
Nothing, really. Except, they are three foodstuff-type items that most American consumers are more than willing to let mega-corporation food manufacturers make for them. And if I am to be honest, we’d probably be hard-pressed to recite the ingredients contained within each of these three items. Sugar, cheese, beef…right?
I never really set out to make my own marshmallows. Until I decided to do a catering with an Outdoor/Nature theme. S’mores Parfaits seemed to be an appropriate dessert, yeah? And how do I level up? Homemade Marshmallows, natch!
Marshmallows are not as complicated to make as they might seem. Sugar, water, gelatin, and vanilla: the firmly squishful white cubes you can buy at the supermarket. These ingredients are critical; as is candy thermometer. A mixer is super-useful as well. Time and temperature make all the difference – and the final result was a pillowy, much more authentic confection than I could buy anywhere.
Speaking of things I can anywhere, let’s discuss queso. Not queso fresco, but the cheesy, creamy queso dip lots of people order at Mexican restaurants with their complimentary chips and salsa. I typically turn my nose up at that stuff because the sheer quantity in use in most midwestern small-town Mexican joints tells me it’s not necessarily made in-house. I would have never made it had I (again) not put in on a catering event menu. Fortunately, I came across a simple recipe in a cookbook I own called “Hot Mess Kitchen”. The universe was smiling upon, I guess? I will say, I may enjoying making queso in the future because when it’s done right, it’s incredibly delicious and customizable. Change out the cheeses, add green chilies, add diced tomatoes, add chorizo…the opportunities are endless and your taco bar will be all the better for it.
Alas, I have no pictures of the queso, but here’s the link. https://grandcentralpub.medium.com/quarter-life-crisis-queso-869839a1f9ab
Perhaps he was inspired by my new culinary forays, but Brent (my husband) really knocked it out of the park this week. June 12 was National Jerky Day and he decided to celebrate it by A.) pulling out and cleaning our smoker, which had been covered and stowed away for the last year, and is, incidentally, *my* smoker, and B.) buying the beef roast and necessary to make jerky. And, then, he just DID IT.
Here’s the thing about Brent. He is the most deliberate person I know. He does not rush willy-nilly into projects that he has not researched well. But yet, he did so here without nary so much as a TikTok video under his belt. I think he may have consulted a webpage, but that was it! Not even a YouTube video, friends!
The meat marinated a couple of days before going into the smoker. I was actually at work when the jerky finished and BRENT actually left his work (he works remotely) to bring some samples to my work. Again, this is not normal behavior for this man I’m married to. Conclusion: he was super-proud of his jerky. Super-proud. And I’m super-proud of him.
Wish I’d gotten pictures of it.
This is the best feeling, friends. To be this far long in the world and feel like I’m making new discoveries every day. The world is not old, tired, or boring. I am not old, tired, or boring.
Heather